TO DO: (by priority) ===== -make the screenmode configurable 10-21-98 DONE! -improve menu handling 9-22-98 DONE! -clear buffer of errant mouse clicks so card plays are handled better 9-22-98 DONE! -stop on third trick if a euchre is a sweep (End Early ON) 9-7-98 DONE! **-add some more messages on hand results, picked randomly -better trump images (shadows..Imagine?) 9-7-98-got rid of shadows on trumcalls and pass images -check into possible problems with AFS -loner calling for computer players 10-9-98 DONE!! -tweak AI 10-20-98 DONE!! -stoner playing style -sound effects (shuffle, deal, etc) -smart ass comments (sampled?) -use datatypes to show game images -better win/loser picture (use Imagine?) -opening graphic (use Imagine?) KNOWN VARIATIONS: ================ screw the dealer 11 pt. game the "benny" (is a heart if UpCard) if dealers partner has dealer pick up trump, he must go alone oppose loners alone, 4pts for a Euchre on this! (some play with "Calling for Best") ===FROM A COUPLE OF WEB PAGES=== Other rules: There are quite a few rules that different people use, and others don't. Here I will try to clarify some of them 1)Technically, you must have a "natural" card of the suit being made trump in order to pick it up. So if you deal and turn up the J of spades, you have to have another spade in your hand to make it trump, and the J of clubs does not count. However, most people let this rule slide. Even I let it go unless I'm in a tournament. 2)Screw the dealer is another one of those rules that some people use, and others don't. I've actually been to tournaments that use the rule, and don't use the rule so just make sure you decide on this before you start playing. "Screw the dealer" is where the dealer must make a suit trump if everyone else passes the second time around 3)If you're in Canada, you're probably getting ready to write me saying that the partner of the dealer has to go alone if they want to order up trump. Well, in Canada, this really is the case. In the US though, nobody has heard of the rule, and it is not used anywhere. 4)Hoyle's- This is where on a loner, the person to the left of the person going alone always starts with the lead. This gives them a better chance of stopping the loner. Now finding somebody that actually uses this rule would be quite a challenge, but it does exist. JOKER. The joker is added to the pack, ranking as the highest trump. If the turn-up is a joker, it proposes hearts for trumps. CALLING FOR BEST. A lone player is entitled to discard one card face down and call for his partner's best card as a replacement. The partner must make his own choice of his best card, without consultation. When a player "assists" and plays alone, dealer is entitled to give him the turn-up. LAPS. If a player (or side) reaches a total or more than 5 points, he may carry forward the excess toward the next game. Special Rules Like every card game ever invented, there are hundreds of variations on the basic game of euchre. We've compiled a list of some of the most common... Stick the Dealer In this variation, the dealer is not allowed to pass a second time. If no one else calls trump, the dealer must do so. In other words, every time the cards are dealt, someone's going to score some points. This is a pretty good addition, but is kind of tough on beginners. Ace-No Face This is a protective sort of thing. If a player is dealt a hand with (only) one ace and no face cards, then they are allowed to call "Ace-No Face". Everybody's hands are thrown in and the current dealer deals again. This is a really great way to waste time, and probably shouldn't be used when all the players have some experience in the game. Partner's Best This is another cheeseball rule. When a player decides to go alone, then after trump is called, the player's partner chooses a card and passes it to the fellow with the loner hand. This makes getting a loner entirely too easy, and most games end up lasting about five rounds. Farmer's Hand This rule is questionable even for fans of Ace-No Face. If someone is dealt three nines or three tens, they have the opportunity to, before they decide on the proposed trump, to exchange their puny cards with the three face-down cards in the kitty. Some folks allow players to call Farmer's Hand if they have any three-card combination of nines and tens- these are probably the same people that wear elbow pads when they speed-walk. Any number of players can invoke this rule during a given round, but bear in mind that after the first farmer's hand, the kitty is guaranteed to consist of ugly cards. No First Blood We didn't run across this one until college. In a nutshell, this rule states that the first lead of the round may not lead trump. We're pretty much in favor of this one- stops the leader from fishing out everybody's money cards with a bauer-bauer quickie. Five Point Euchre This is just regular euchre, played to five points instead of ten. FUTURE: ====== -move to MUI for nicer GUI, easier to code, allow custom screen configs -implement a Soliton mode -TCP/IP play?